Adiposity trajectories from ages 11 to 22 years: 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) birth cohort

Abstract

We examined adiposity trajectories (body mass index – BMI and body fat percentage – BF%) from ages 11 to 22 years and described them according to sex and maternal characteristics. Data were analyzed from the 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) birth cohort. BMI (n = 3,072) and BF% (n = 3,058) measurements were assessed at four time points (11, 15, 18, and 22 years). Trajectories were found using a group-based modeling approach by sex and described according to maternal characteristics using the Pearson’s chi-squared test. This study found three BMI trajectories: “always adequate”, “always with overweight”, and “always with obesity”. Approximately 40% of the cohort was classified as “always with overweight” or “always with obesity”. For BF%, three trajectories were observed among males, including one with a consistently low BF% over time, whereas women’s trajectories showed an increase in BF% from adolescence onward. Maternal overweight was associated with higher adiposity trajectories in both sexes. Men with higher family income and lower maternal education had a higher prevalence of high adiposity trajectories for both BMI and BF%. In women, those from lower-income backgrounds had a higher prevalence of the “always with overweight” or “always with obesity” trajectories. The adiposity trajectories of men and women belonging to the 1993 birth cohort suggest significant increases in body fat from ages 11 to 22 years, and even more pronounced upward trajectories when these youths’ mothers were overweight at the beginning of this trajectory.